LSA Cost Calculator
Estimate what Google Local Service Ads will actually cost your business: cost-per-lead, monthly lead volume, booked jobs, and cost-per-acquired-customer. Based on 2026 benchmark data by trade.
Free. No email required to see results. Numbers update live as you change inputs.
Sets benchmark CPL range, default job value, and default close rate.
Major metros push CPL to the high end of the range. Small metros land at the low end.
Total monthly spend on Local Service Ads. Paid direct to Google.
Pre-filled for HVAC. Adjust to match your actual average revenue per booked job.
Percentage of LSA leads that become paying customers. Typical range 25 to 45%.
Estimated monthly revenue from LSA
$10,731/mo
4.3x return on $2,500 ad spend
Cost per lead
$53
HVAC, Mid-size metro
Leads per month
47
Before disputes and refunds
Booked jobs / mo
17
35% close rate
Cost per customer
$151
Blended, per acquired job
ROI signal
Strong ROIAt $2,500/mo in spend and 35% close, LSA returns roughly 4.3x gross revenue. Aim for 3x or higher after margin to keep the channel healthy long-term.
Dispute recovery
Active dispute management typically recovers 20 to 35% of qualifying charges (out of area, wrong job category, spam, duplicates). On your $2,500/mo budget that's roughly $500 to $875/mo back.
Estimates based on 2026 industry benchmark ranges. Actual results vary by review profile, response rate, and season.
Email me my results plus the full LSA benchmarks guide
Optional. Your numbers are already visible above. This sends a copy of your scenario plus the 2026 LSA benchmarks by trade to your inbox.
How this calculator works
Google Local Service Ads bill per lead, not per click. Cost-per-lead varies by trade (Water Damage Restoration runs 5 to 6x the CPL of Lawn Care) and by market density (a Miami HVAC lead costs materially more than one in a rural county). We use 2026 benchmark CPL ranges published by LSA management shops and cross-referenced with our own client data, then map your inputs onto four downstream numbers: leads, booked jobs, cost-per-acquired-customer, and monthly revenue.
The benchmark ranges: HVAC $25 to $80, Plumbing $20 to $70, Roofing $30 to $100, Electrical $20 to $65, Lawn Care $10 to $40, Pest Control $15 to $50, Garage Door $15 to $50, Water Damage Restoration $50 to $150. Major metros land at the high end because more competing Google Guaranteed businesses bid up limited inventory. Small metros land at the low end. Mid-size metros land at the midpoint.
How to lower your cost-per-lead
CPL is not a fixed number. Four operational levers move it materially:
- Review count and recency. LSA ranking weights recent 5-star reviews heavily. Contractors with 100+ reviews and a steady stream of new ones get more impressions at a lower effective CPL. Our guide to getting 100 Google reviews walks the exact system.
- Response speed. Missing a call drops your LSA score. Sub 60 second response, ideally with an AI receptionist or on-call dispatcher, protects your ranking.
- Category tuning. Turn off job categories you don't want, tighten service area, and match hours to real availability. Every mismatched lead is a dispute you have to fight.
- Dispute management. Actively disputing out-of-area, wrong-category, spam, and duplicate leads recovers 20 to 35% of qualifying charges. Left unmanaged, that money stays with Google.
For the deeper mechanics, read our Local Service Ads cost breakdown and Google Guaranteed for contractors guide.
Want this managed for you?
SkillMammoth's Local Service Ads management is a flat $999 one-time setup plus $299 to $799/mo depending on scope. Ad spend is separate and paid direct to Google, not to us. We handle category tuning, dispute management, review velocity, and profile optimization. No PPC, LSA only.
Also useful: Contractor Funnel Calculator to model the full lead-to-revenue math across every channel.